Ivan Perišić (; born 2 February 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who mostly plays as a left winger for Eredivisie club PSV and the Croatia national team. Known for his ambipedality and versatility on the field, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest Croatian players of all time.Multiple sources:
A product of the Hajduk Split and Sochaux-Montbéliard youth academies, Perišić began his career at Club Brugge, where he was the Belgian Pro League top goalscorer and was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2011. This earned him a transfer to Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the 2011–12 Bundesliga, before signing with VfL Wolfsburg for €8 million in 2013. He remained there for two and a half seasons, winning the 2015 DFB-Pokal final, before moving to Inter Milan for €16 million. In 2019, he joined Bayern Munich on loan, winning the treble. After returning to Inter Milan, he won the 2020–21 Serie A, the 2021 Supercoppa Italiana and the 2021–22 Coppa Italia.
Perišić made his debut for Croatia in 2011 and represented his nation at the UEFA European Championship in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024, as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026. He helped lead Croatia to a second and third-place finish at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, securing two medals. He led Croatia to second-place and a silver medal in the 2023 UEFA Nations League. Instrumental to Croatia's second "golden generation", Perišić is his nation's top scorer at World Cup tournaments.
Club career Early career Perišić played in the youth ranks of the club he grew up supporting, Hajduk Split. He received interest from a number of clubs, including Anderlecht, PSV, Ajax, Hertha BSC and Hamburger SV. The only match he played for Hajduk was a friendly 3–1 win over Smederevo in Murska Sobota on 16 July 2006. Returning from Murska Sobota to Split, Perišić received offers from Anderlecht and Sochaux. Hajduk offered Perišić a €100,000 contract, which was only €20,000 less than Hajduk's best player Niko Kranjčar's contract. However, the Perišić family opted for French club Sochaux, which paid €360,000 to sign him in the summer of 2006. Sochaux's coach Alain Perrin personally arrived to Split with a private jet to convince Perišić to sign, waiting two days for his signature. His physical and technical attributes led to comparisons to former Croatia international Aljoša Asanović by some journalists. He was a member of the Sochaux youth team, which won the Coupe Gambardella in 2007. During his time at Sochaux, he failed to make a first-team appearance, but did play for the B team. In January 2009, Perišić was sent on loan to Belgian top flight club Roeselare for six months. At the end of the 2008–09 season, there were reports Perišić sought to join Belgian side Anderlecht.
Club Brugge On 26 August 2009, Belgian club Club Brugge acquired Perišić from Sochaux for a €250,000 transfer fee and signed him to a three-year contract. Prior his move, Perišić was linked with a move to German side Hertha BSC, having gone on trial.
In the opening match of the season, Perišić scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw against Genk, then scored his second in two consecutive games and provided assists in a 4–1 win over Westerlo. Overall, Perišić scored 9 goals in 33 league appearances, also making eight appearances in Brugge's Europa League campaign, scoring four goals. At the end of the season, Perišić signed a new three-year contract at Brugge, keeping him until 2015.
Belgian football critics predicted a bright future for Perišić. In the 2010–11 season, he was the top scorer of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League after scoring 22 goals for Club Brugge, also being named Player of the Year in Belgium. During the season, Perišić scored four goals and provided an assist in a 5–0 win against Charleroi on 29 December 2010.
Borussia Dortmund
On 23 May 2011, Perišić signed a five-year contract to play for German side Borussia Dortmund after Dortmund paid an estimated €5 million transfer fee to Brugge. He made his debut for the club in their 3–1 home victory over Hamburger SV on 5 August, substituting on for Chris Löwe in the 75th minute. During a Champions League match on 13 September 2011, he scored a late equaliser with a volley from 20 yards against Arsenal after entering as a substitute in the 69th minute. On 14 October, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against Werder Bremen, a match in which he was later sent off for a second bookable offence. On 21 April 2012, he scored the important 1–0 goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach and opened the door to the eighth national championship for Dortmund. The game ended 2–0 (the second was scored by Shinji Kagawa).
Perišić began the 2012–13 Bundesliga season scoring a brace in a 3–2 loss against Hamburger SV on 22 September 2012. However, Perišić soon found his first team opportunities limited, having played less in the first team and soon told Croatian channel Nova TV he had received no support from Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp and accused him of favouring other players. In response, Klopp criticised his actions as childish and Perišić faced a fine due to his comment.
VfL Wolfsburg
On 6 January 2013, it was reported Perišić transferred for €8 million to VfL Wolfsburg. He scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in a friendly match against Standard Liège on 10 January. He made his competitive debut for Wolfsburg against VfB Stuttgart on 19 January 2013. In March, he suffered a left knee injury that sidelined him throughout March and April. He made his comeback in May in the match against Hamburger SV, coming on as a substitute and providing an assist. On 11 May 2013, he faced his former club Borussia Dortmund, scoring two goals.
On 3 August 2013, Perišić scored his first cup goal for Wolfsburg in their 3–1 win against Karlsruher SC. On 26 October 2013, Perišić opened his goal scoring form in the 2013–14 season in their 3–0 win against Werder Bremen, also creating an assist on a goal. On matchday 30, he scored a brace in Wolfsburg's 4–1 home win against 1. FC Nürnberg. Perišić finished the season with ten league goals, second-best on the team behind fellow countryman Ivica Olić.
Inter Milan On 30 August 2015, Perišić signed with Italian club Inter Milan on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of €16 million. He was presented on 10 September alongside Adem Ljajić, where he was assigned squad number 44, stating, "Inter were too big an opportunity to turn down."
2015–16 season Perišić made his competitive debut for the club three days after signing, starting and playing 85 minutes in a 1–0 win against cross-city rivals Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. He opened his scoring account on 4 October in his fifth league appearance in the 1–1 away draw against Sampdoria, profiting from Mauro Icardi's assist, which was followed by another goal against Palermo two weeks later.
On 15 December, Perišić made his Coppa Italia debut in the round of 16 match against Cagliari at home, appearing as a second-half substitute and scoring the team's third goal of the match in an eventual 3–0 win. He began 2016 on 6 January in the match away against Empoli; his cross from close range was finished home by Icardi for the only goal of the match, which kept Inter top to the table. On 7 February, during the match against Hellas Verona, Perišić came on as a 46th-minute substitute to change the fate of the match, providing an assist for Icardi and also scoring for himself to level the result 3–3, rescuing a point for his side.
March was Perišić's best month in personal terms, scoring four goals and providing three assists. On 2 March, in the returning leg of Coppa Italia's semi-final against Juventus at San Siro, Perišić scored the team's second goal of the match to help Inter overturn the 3–0 defeat and equal the aggregate 3–3, which led the match into the penalty shoot-outs. However, Inter lost 5–3 and were eliminated from the competition. Perišić scored Inter's last goal of 2015–16 season in a 2–1 home win against Empoli on the final matchday.
Perišić finished his first season with Inter Milan by playing 37 matches, including 34 in league, scoring nine goals, seven of them in league, and Inter Milan finished fourth in Serie A, returning in European competitions after a one-year absence and was eliminated in the semi-final in the Coppa Italia. He was also Inter Milan's top assist provider with six assists.
2016–17 season Perišić opened his second Inter season by playing in the last 30 minutes of the first matchday as fell away at Chievo. He then scored his first goal of the new season in the Derby d'Italia against Juventus at home, entering in the 69th minute and heading home an Mauro Icardi cross nine minutes later to give Inter second win of the season, also the first in league against Juventus since November 2012.
Perišić played his first European match for Inter Milan on 29 September in team's second 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage match against Sparta Prague, appearing in the last 27 minutes of a 3–1 away defeat. On 20 November, in the Derby against rivals Milan, he first provided the Antonio Candreva's long-range strike before scoring himself a last minute equaliser, as Inter took one point in the last moments.
On 8 January 2017, Inter Milan's first match of the calendar year, Perišić provided a Man of the Match performance by scoring both goals in a 2–1 away win at Udinese; it was his first Inter brace which took his tally up to six goals. This was followed by another splendid individual performance against Chievo six days later as he scored his team's second goal after an individual effort in an eventual 3–1 win.
On 5 February, in the matchday 23 against Juventus at Juventus Stadium, Perišić received his first-ever career red card as Inter Milan were defeated 1–0. He was subsequently banned for two matches by Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for aggressive confrontation of the referee. After Inter Milan appealed the suspension, it was reduced to one match. He returned from suspension on 19 February in the 1–0 win at Bologna, and scored his second brace on 5 March in a 5–1 thrashing of Cagliari at Stadio Sant'Elia.
On 22 April, Perišić reached double-figures for the first time with Inter Milan after scoring in a 5–4 away defeat against Fiorentina. On the final matchday, he provided a stunning individual performance by providing two assists after individual efforts, also scoring his 11th goal of the season as Inter thrashed Udinese 5–2 at home end the season on a high. Perišić finished his second Inter season by making 42 appearances in all competitions, including 36 in league, which 31 were as starter, as Inter finished the Serie A in seventh position, once again failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. He scored 11 goals, his highest tally since 2010–11 season with Club Brugge; and also provided ten assists, including eight in Serie A, breaking his last season's record.
2017–18 season Perišić started his third Inter season on a high, first scoring and assisting in the opening day of 2017–18 Serie A against Fiorentina, then providing two assists in the away match at Roma as Inter won 3–1, Inter Milan's first league win at the Stadio Olimpico in nine years.
On 8 September, Perišić signed a new contract extension with Inter Milan, keeping him at the San Siro until June 2022. Upon signing, Perišić said, "It's a special day, it's certainly emotional and I'm happy after the stress of this summer. Now, we can look forward and I'm only thinking about Inter. After signing, the pitch is the only thing left for me to think about."